This Week in the Nintendo eShop

The most interesting thing out this week might be Shovel Knight's free update, which adds in a brand new playable character (Plague Knight) and a new challenge mode. But aside from that, this week has a few other standout games, such as Year Walk, the celebrated iOS release coming to Wii U, and the quirky Wii U Virtual Console release of the little-known GBA game Car Battler Joe.

Wii U Original Download Games

Year Walk ($6.99)

Year Walk, first released on iOS in 2013, is a unique adventure game where you journey through a dark woods inspired by Swedish folklore. On Wii U, the GamePad is integral, as players can use it in conjunction with the TV to solve puzzles, unravel clues, and more.

Defense Dome ($2.99)

Defense Dome is an interesting Wii U game that uses the GamePad and the TV together. The TV shows a wide environment filled with enemy missiles, while the GamePad shows you a zoomed-in view of a portion of that area. You have to move the GamePad to line up shots to defend your dome and shoot down missiles.

Rock 'N Racing Off Road DX ($7.99)

While Nintendo fans might not get to play R.C. Pro Am anymore unless they have an Xbox One, they can check out Rock 'N Racing Off Road DX, which is a Wii U game similar to the Rare-made NES classic. This top-down racing game features single-player and multiplayer modes, with the multiplayer supporting up to five players at once.

Zombie Defense ($7.99)

Zombie Defense is a tower defense game for Wii U where, well, you defend against zombies using militia and high-tech weaponry. There are 35 missions in this Wii U eShop game as you prepare to take down hordes of undead foes.

Wii U Virtual Console Games

Car Battler Joe ($6.99)

This under-the-radar Natsume Game Boy Advance game is coming to Wii U Virtual Console with an impressive pedigree. This 2002 GBA game is developed by Ancient, which is the team headed by famed composer Yuzo Koshiro that has created Streets of Rage 2, ActRaiser 2, and Amazing Island. Car Battler Joe is a vehicular combat-focused action RPG. Back in the day, this quirky game was warmly received, with most folks celebrating the weirdness of this genre mash-up but also harped on the weak story and flawed execution.

Already have a Skylanders Portal of Power and don't want to buy more plastic stuff? Well, you can download the Portal Owner's Pack, which comes with "Instant" versions of a Skylanders and a land vehicle. SuperChargers features more of the same Diablo-like gameplay that defines the series, but also includes racing elements with the new hook being land, sea, and air vehicles.

3DS Retail Games

Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson ($39.99)

If you checked out the first Senran Kagura on 3DS, then you know what you're in for. This series, from publisher Xseed, is a brawler where you control big-breasted ninja women who fight other big-breasted ninja women. The twist is that, when you hit these big-breasted women, their clothes fly off. It is as weird as it sounds, though the actual mechanics of this beat-'em-up are fun. If you can handle the subject matter, maybe check it out.